the art + life of sharon samples

Tag Archives: bad art is good art

The purpose of this meme is to encourage younger artists to continue to improve. But it can also work for older folks like me. ;)

To be honest, I never thought about giving up on art. Doing art was something that was just a part of my life, and my parents encouraged my talent, never discouraged it. But it wasn’t until I got to my junior year of high school, when I was considering what career path to pursue in college, that I had to make the decision on whether or not to pursue art as an actual profession.

So drawing has never really been a chore for me. However, as I progressed in developing my artistic talent, there were many moments of frustration, of things not turning out exactly as I pictured, and that’s still something with which a struggle to this day.

August 1996—Spring 1997: I was about 14 years old when I got “serious” about my art. The piece on the right is something I drew of my characters Adriana and Amber, referencing the poses from catalogs. Sometime between then and the next year, I discovered art on the internet and I began reading comic books. This led to me to learn how to stylize my art.

After high school, I went to college, earned a BFA in Graphic Design with a minor in Photography. I had to take a butt-load of art and art history classes. I didn’t take any illustration classes, but I did take figure drawing (LOVED IT) and perceptual drawing classes.

So, if when people ask me if I have formal art training, the answer is “yes,” but I was drawing long before that. Drawing is a talent, but it’s also a skill that needs to be developed and cultivated. The only way to get better at it is to do it.